On White Privilege and the TEA Party

The tragic events that occurred yesterday in Austin, Texas are saddening but not surprising in a nation where everyday demagogues like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh or Alex Jones are allowed to stir up paranoia.

Joe Stack, the domestic terrorist that decided to attack innocent Federal employees with his small plane is the most recent casualty that folks in the TEA Party have taken up and declared a hero.

I was having a discussion with a friend about the TEA Party and what it meant to the political landscape of America. My friend was curious why the TEA Party was doing a bad marketing job of integrating folks other than Anglos to their cause.

Keith Olbermann brought up this point the other day where he asked TEA Party members to explain why they lacked people of color.

Then, it dawned on me … this whole time we have been overanalyzing the TEA Party and assumed that their goal was to integrate Americans of all facets of society. What if their goal was not that but the contrary? They do not want to include other people.

Then the question would be why?

Here one may speculate a bit but I would surmise that it has to do with the change in how minorities are viewed in the political spectrum. A lot has changed for these Anglo voters … it seems to them that they are no longer in power.

Perhaps, the wake up call was the election of President Barack Obama. Anglos are slowly realizing that they are losing control of their country.

Thus, they want to return America back to 1776 … to return to the America the founding fathers envisioned.

As a student of history I find the romantization of how are founding fathers set up our nation foolish. Our founding fathers were not perfect and they knew this and thus they created a living-breathing document that could change with time.

The TEA party does not understand that the United States circa 1776 would entail that a) women cannot vote b) minorities cannot vote c) only white land owners can vote.

Then again … maybe I am overanalyzing and that is exactly what they want. They want to restore America to a time where Anglos controlled every aspect of life … as if that has not changed right?

That is where Tim Wise, an Anglo anti-racist activist, who gave a lecture on “White Privilege” comes into play. The underlying thesis of his lecture is that Anglos are used to being in control all their lives that when something goes wrong … they do not know how to react accordingly. On the contrary, minorities including white women at times are used to disappointment that we have created defense mechanisms to handle these situations.

Thus, we come full circle back to Joe Stack. As a white male, he has trouble with the IRS and financial issues as a result of lack of employment opportunities.

His response … burn down his home to the ground and fly his plane into a building to make a statement.

Some in the TEA Party are already declaring him a martyr a patriot to the cause for which they stand for.

His act was no different than what occurred on September 11. Both groups had a political agenda and wanted make the biggest impact possible.

When Foreigners fly planes into buildings protesting the US Government, it is an act of terrorism. When Americans fly planes into buildings protesting the US Government, it is an act of liberty or patriotism?

I find it hard to empathize with someone that had financial issues yet managed to have real property valued at $232K and own a private plane that runs over $100K.

While Stacks grievances may have been legitimate, the means did not justify the ends. Minorities inclusive of women, gays, and racial/economic class have grievances against the government but they understand that there are other channels in resolving these issues. We have developed coping mechanisms that white men like Joe Stack never developed due to white privelege.